Real-Time & Embedded Systems Forum
(Thursday)

Objective of Meeting

The objective for Thursday was to provide a solid look at the following topics so that participants would have a better understanding of the subjects, and an increased commitment to participate actively in the deliverables and next steps. Thursday sessions covered the topics below:

• MILS API Standards Work Group (Rance DeLong, Patrick Huyck et al)
• Optional Parallel SMA Joint Session with Security Forum (Steve Venema, et al)
• High-Assurance Requirements and Independent Evaluation & Certification, Mutual Recognition (Rance DeLong)

Summary

MILS API Standard

Rance De Long, LynuxWorks, provided an overview of MILS offering that the promise of MILS, and its ultimate commercial success, is contingent upon the ability of developers to cost-effectively produce high-assurance MILS components (MILS middleware). To that end, the RT&ES Forum of The Open Group has initiated a MILS API Working Group to develop a standard for an application programming interface (API) for the development of high-assurance MILS middleware and applications.

Patrick Huyck, Greenhills, provided a quick but detailed look at the Draft MILS API Specification, which the Working Group has been progressing over the past several months. There was a great deal of interactive discussion as concepts and assumptions on scope and approaches were more fully vetted.

Joint Session with Security Forum

Refer to the Security Forum report.

High-Assurance Requirements and Independent Evaluation & Certification, Mutual Recognition

Rance De Long provided a summary of the Commercial Evaluation and Certification work being explored by The Open Group in designing a commercial evaluation and certification program for high-assurance components and systems. It is expected to include assurance cases that make claims with arguments and evidence and will involve the explicit and pervasive use of formal methods to increase rigor. It is intended to be less onerous but more robust than existing programs, and could be utilized to fill some of the gaps arising out of the restructuring of current certification paradigms. A major objective will be for international recognition of high-assurance results.

Outputs

See presentation links and Next Steps.

Next Steps

MILS API Standard

The MILS API Working Group meets periodically throughout the year via teleconferences and web conferences. Their main priority is to evolve the MILS API Specification through consensus within the working group – and to submit it to The Open Group Review and Approval Process.

To participate in the mils-api-wg and help in the development of the standard, please contact Joe Bergmann at j.bergmann@opengropu.org.

High-Assurance Requirements and Independent Evaluation & Certification, Mutual Recognition

The next steps are to continue to evolve the current paper/proposal, further vet the concept with government and industry, and to begin to build a strong set of supporters and a business case for assuring that others see the value and are willing to invest time, resources, or funding in the outcome.

Links

• MILS API (Rance DeLong)
• An Independent Evaluation and Certification Scheme Providing International Recognition for High-Assurance MILS Components and Systems [1] [2] (Rance DeLong)